


Too Small To Win

by JustLyra



Category: MotoGP RPF, Motorcycling RPF
Genre: Friends to Lovers, M/M, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-16
Updated: 2016-08-16
Packaged: 2018-08-08 14:53:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7762213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustLyra/pseuds/JustLyra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dani's Autobiography tells all about his career, finding his soulmate and his retirement...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Too Small To Win

**Author's Note:**

  * For [F1_rabbit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/F1_rabbit/gifts).



> I really hope this is ok!

Sitting back in the chair, a glass of wine on the table to his right, the sun setting in the distance, Dani tucked the blanket around his lap, protecting him from the cooling night air. Running his hand over the shiny book cover he smiled, the photo on the front chosen by his two daughters, no question from them about which it should be, their Dad behind the photographer, making Dani hoot with laughter, creating the perfect image.

Opening the book, smiling at the foreword by Marc, his long-time teammate and multiple world champion, Dani reached for the wine, ready to double check the details, and remind himself of some of his most precious memories.

*

_Mini Rider_

My first bike was and Italjet 50. I was four years old and I was so excited. I remember clearly looking at my mother, in that way we always do when we know that Mama has the final say on anything that could be dangerous, and being delighted when she nodded. The bike had little side-wheels and I used to get scolded almost daily for knocking over pots and plants in the garden with it.

When I was six I got a Kawasaki and for a while the video of my reaction to that done the rounds of the internet. It’s one of my favourite memories as a child. I used to race my friends outside. We’d have little championships. Although they were a little strange because there was five of us, but only three of us had bikes so we used to have to take turns – sometimes by the end of the day we couldn’t even remember who had won! It didn’t really matter at that stage, we all believed we were the one who won!

I first raced properly when I was nine and after I begged and begged and begged my Mama gave permission for me to enter the Spanish Minibike Championship. In the second race of the season I got on the podium and when I was up there I pretended it was a MotoGP, well 500cc as it was then, podium. I managed to finish second in the championship that year which was amazing. I entered the next year and was really hopeful I’d win, but I had health problems and missed some races. I finished third instead and I think that year stood me in really good stead for tough seasons later in my career.

*

_Down With A Bump_

2003 was a big year for me. I was in the 125cc Championship for the third time and I went into the season with confidence after finishing third in 2002. I had a good bike and Alberto [Puig, his manager] had got me into great shape in the winter with a great training camp.

The first race wasn’t great for me and I was bitterly disappointed to finish eighth, however I came back with a bang and won the second race at Phakisa Freeway in South Africa. I came from seventh on the grid that day and it is still one of my favourite memories. I finished only three tenths ahead of Andrea Dovizioso and he, and Steve Jenkner, had run me close through the race. There were only eight tenths separating the three of us and Youichi Ui and Pablo Neito who finished fourth and fifth.

I won four more races that season; Le Mans, Catalunya, Brno and Sepang, and I only failed to finish in one race. At Sepang I wrapped up the title with a win – which is just as well as I broke both of my ankles one week later crashing in practise at Phillip Island!

As well as my title and injuries 2003 was a tough year because I turned eighteen. As everyone knows when you turn eighteen that is when your soulmate mark can appear. Like everyone, despite the fact I knew the chance the mark appearing on my birthday was slim, I shot out of bed on the morning of my birthday to inspect my skin in the mirror.

I was in Japan for my birthday. We’d raced in Rio the weekend before and had Motegi on the Sunday (my birthday was the Monday) so I kept checking myself in the mirror all day wondering if the mark would appear in conjunction with another time zone! It didn’t though, I was pretty gutted when I went to bed that night, my skin still the same as when I’d woken up.

*

_Flying High Again_

In 2004 I moved up to the 250cc class. I had known I was moving up before I broke my ankles and I had been pretty confident. The bike that I was getting was good and although I still received a lot of comments saying that I was too small people had more started saying that my size was an advantage!

By the time we arrived at the first race in South Africa I was a bit down. I hadn’t been able to do any testing on the bike because of my ankles and my winter training had been massively hampered. I was very worried that my season was going to be hugely interrupted because of the crash in Phillip Island.

Amazingly, despite qualifying fourth, I won the race! I had an amazing battle with Randy de Puniet all race long, but managed to finish half a second ahead of him. It was quite a spread out race, Sebastian Porto in third was almost six seconds behind and the next Honda to me was thirty seconds behind. That win really built my confidence back up, and I think I was one of the few people who was disappointed when Phakisa didn’t appear on the calendar again.

Life, as it tends to do, brought me back down to earth a little in the next race when I had a mechanical failure in Jerez, but I didn’t let it take over. The rest of 2004 was pretty special for me. I won six more races, I had no more DNF’s and I was on the podium in every race bar two. Once again I secured the title in Sepang, but this time managed not to break my ankles in the next race!

*

_Travel, Travel, Travel_

Travelling has been a huge part of my life since I was nine. Every weekend I’d be piling into a car, or a motorhome or onto a plane to go to another place for a race. People often think it’s quite a glamorous lifestyle, but it’s really not! There is no glamour in sitting in an airport for yet another delay, or hanging around for your case (which is inevitably always the last one on the belt). Even when you get to the point where you are travelling in Business or First Class it’s not really fun. You get nicer food – and yes, I have seen the video of me pulling faces at airplane food when I was a teen! – but you still have to check in two hours before and hang around, you still have jet lag, you still get a cold because someone coughed their germs into the recycled air, you still get the turbulence. It’s boring, but I tried never to complain because lots of people have boring commutes to work, at least I got to do my dream job at the end of it.

When it comes to hotels I’m very firmly of the belief that once you’ve seen one hotel room, you’ve seen them all. Sure there are a few tweaks here and there, but essentially they are all the same. They are a big room, with a bit stolen for a bathroom, and they all have too few hangers, not enough plug sockets and there’s always someone on my corridor who can’t close a door without banging it! Much like the travel element it was just part of my work life.

It’s quite strange because I’ve been to many, many countries in my career, but I’ve not **seen** many places. Most of the time we only saw the airport, the road to the hotel, the hotel and the track. Sometimes you’d have an hour to go somewhere, but often we were too busy. That is something that I’ve managed to change since I retired; I’ve now been lucky enough to actually see places on my travels.

*

_21 or Bust…_

2006 turned out to be a massive year for me. I turned 21 and I moved up to MotoGP.

A lot of people were very vocal when I signed for Repsol Honda. After a couple of years of being accused of gaining an advantage from my size I was back to being ‘too small’ and ‘not strong enough’ again. One charming journalist even commented that there was _fears_ that I’d be crushed by the bike if I crashed because of my _tiny stature_ – like I was a hobbit going into a race with giants!

I was quite lucky in that the first round of the season was at Jerez. That gave me the chance to race on a track I knew well while I was still adjusting to the new bike. I managed to qualify fifth just one place behind my teammate Nicky Hayden. In the race, which Loris [Capirossi] dominated, I managed to finish second. Standing on the podium I could see my parents, and my brother, and we were all as emotional as each other. All of the efforts that they had put in; travelling, spending money, missing events, had helped me get to that point. I gave my parents my trophy from that race and that started my tradition of giving away my trophies to someone who had helped me win it.

I got my first MotoGP pole position in China in the fourth race of the year. It was a perfect weekend for me; I got pole, fastest lap and I won my first ever MotoGP race. I really struggled to hold back the tears on the podium because that was it, it was what I’d always worked so hard for. It can be tough, when you are hurt or when all of your friends are going on holiday or to a party, and although it’s your dream career it takes a lot from you, so to actually get there, to stand on that top step was just amazing. It felt like I’d made it.

*

Closing the book for a second Dani smiled as he looked off into the distance, remembering the celebrations after China, his parents and Alberto, all of them sharing the bottle of champagne, his team throwing him around, everyone just delighted for him, believing this was the start.

Wiping a tear from the corner of his eye Dani pulled the blanket tighter, going back to the story, some details needing to be checked carefully.

*

Obviously the bust point of 2006 was in Estoril… I’d run really well in the championship. Myself, my teammate Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi were in real contention. In free practice at Sepang I crashed and I sliced my knee. It was a really deep gash and I could hardly walk. If the rain hadn’t cancelled the qualifying session I’m not sure where I’d have qualified to be honest, it was very much touch and go if I would be able to race. I managed to finish in third which kept me in contention. However, at Phillip Island and Motegi I couldn’t get anywhere near the front, bending my knee was agony and as for touching the ground with it… Well that just wasn’t possible. I finished fifteenth and seventh which meant I arrived at Estoril in fifth place in the championship.

A lot has been written about my crash with Nicky, but it was a pretty simple crash. I tried to overtake him and I slid. I made a move and I made a mistake. I got absolutely lambasted in the press for it. Some of it was fair; I probably should have been more careful, but a lot of it was over the top. A lot of people forgot two things – I was a rookie in the class and I was still in contention for the title myself… People often go on about how differently Colin Edwards rode at Estoril, about how much he helped Valentino, but Colin was out of the title race. I wasn’t.

I was mostly hurt by the accusations that I wasn’t sporting. They said that I should have helped Nicky up, that I should have helped him get back into the race, but I injured my hand. I went straight to Clinica Mobile to have a broken finger put into place. No matter what anyone says I apologised to Nicky as soon as the time was right, and at the earliest opportunity. No-one regrets that mistake more than me.

I was given a valuable reminder that year. You can very, very easily go from hero to zero in our sport. Journalists who pretend to be your friend will quickly become scathing of you and label you the teammate from hell. The same journalists would go on to say that I was reclusive and reluctant to talk to them, but they’d never mention, or probably understand, why.

*

_Branding_

I was 22 years old when the first mark appeared on my skin. Like a lot of people, I got a branding circle; the first time I spotted a little bit of it on my skin I scrubbed it thinking it was oil!

The first part of my branding circle was six numbers – 191014 – and I spend about nine hours online Googling it. I knew it was a fruitless task, I wasn’t one of the people who got their soulmate’s name, or phone number, on their skin. I was one of the people who got little pieces of a puzzle and it was going to take time for it all to come together.

I got nothing else for a year, which was very frustrating. I was coming up for 23 and some of my friends were getting married and having children. I craved a ‘normal’ life away from the track and so, despite the branding, I decided to have a relationship. I knew that I was bisexual, but I did actively chose to have a relationship with a woman. I’m not going to lie and say it was because I had stronger feelings for women than men or anything like that. It was easier to have a relationship with a woman in 2007. MotoGP is a fabulous sport, but there was, and still are, some elements that are very _macho_ and some of the attitudes are not very enlightened ones. It was a selfish decision, but I simply wasn’t willing, or ready, to face the onslaught that the first MotoGP rider to be openly in a same sex relationship was going to have to face.

I dated Yvette for 7 years until 2014. Over that time my branding circle evolved. 170814 joined the figures in 2008 as did 291014. Curiously the 291014 then developed a line through it, like someone somewhere had changed their mind about it being a special date. It was at this point that my brother Eric began to speculate that the numbers were dates. He always thinks he’s right about most things, but I simply had to wait to see if he was correct!

A lot of people have written about me “hiding” my branding. However, that’s not the case. Firstly, my branding circle is on my hip; I’m not the only person in the world who doesn’t walk about with their hips on show! Also, although I’ve always believed in soulmates I also believe that you have to create your relationship. Branding isn’t always crystal clear; my father’s brand is a key and my mother’s is a lock, they are not the only people in the world with those brands so they had to build their relationship to be sure that they were the right key for the right lock. My brandings were so open to interpretation at that point that I didn’t want to risk the wrong pairing.

I wanted to meet my soulmate and _know_ they were my soulmate. I wanted the branding to be the confirmation, not the starting point and I was very lucky that my soulmate was of the same thinking…

*

_Rookie Teammate & Aragon_

In 2013 I swore a lot! My teammate Casey Stoner decided to retire at the end of 2012 and I got a new teammate in the shape of Marc Marquez. Marc was different to any other teammate I’d ever had before; he was bubbly and loud, and friendly and loud, and he was eager to learn, and did I mention he was loud?!

I enjoyed working with Marc. He shared data, there was no politics involved with him. He was just a kid who wanted to race and he reminded me of me when I was younger (only louder!).

Of course he very quickly stopped being just a rookie eager to learn – very quickly he became mine and Jorge’s biggest rival for the title. The single most annoying thing about him was that you couldn’t help, but be pleased for him! He’d beat you and would be so nice about it!

A lot of people underestimated Marc. I don’t think I did. I didn’t lose to him because I underestimated him, I didn’t even lose to him because I got injured; I lost to him because he was better. The things he could do with that bike were ridiculous!

We had a difficult moment when he took me out in Aragon. It was a tough one for me because I did feel the move was risky, but equally my team had to take some of the blame because the sensor should not have been so vulnerable. I was really angry at first, but then when he apologised I recognised something in him – I recognised the look I had in 2006 when I took out my teammate. We all make mistakes and although it wrecked my birthday weekend it was quickly sorted.

In 2014 I realised that I had underestimated one thing – how bloody annoying he could be! What can you say when someone wins ten races in a row? When they win one or two you can say that you are close, and when they win three or four you can think ‘well he was lucky’, but when they win ten, on the same bike you are on, you simply have to admit that they are a very, very good rider. 2014 was the first time I genuinely believed my teammate was better than me and that took a while to get my head around because if you don’t believe you can win then you can’t win.

*

_170814_

With everything that was going on 2014 I had put all thoughts about my branding aside. I spent all of my time pouring over the data sheets trying to work out why I just couldn’t get the bike to perform the way Marc could that I didn’t have time for a relationship.

My relationship with Yvette was basically over by the time we went to Le Mans. I finished fifth and when I got back to the motorhome Yvette had packed her things and returned to Spain. I realised she’d made the right call when my overriding emotion was relief; I didn’t want to speak to anyone, I didn’t want to have to take someone else’s food choices or plans into consideration. I just wanted to focus on my season and try and get things sorted. We didn’t officially split up or anything grand like that. We both just knew that what we had was done. We’re still friends now, the relationship was what we both needed at the time and did its job.

I hadn’t really spent much time with Marc after the first few races. MotoGP is a funny world where lots of people are your acquaintances, but very few are actually your friends. Riders don’t, as a whole, socialise together or spend any time with each other away from the track. I spent a little bit of time with Marc at events because he is my teammate, but that was about it. No-one really wants to be friends with the guy who could take the title from them.

In Brno I finally managed to win the race and I celebrated like I’d won ten titles! Standing on that top step was like a reaffirmation that I could ride, I could challenge and I was still good enough. After that race there was a test on the Monday and for the first time in my life I had a few drinks before a test!

The night in Brno is etched in my brain for another reason. Marc came into the hospitality that evening. It wasn’t a great race for him, he finished fourth behind myself, Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi, which for most people in their second season in MotoGP would be an achievement, but not for Marc. He was very gracious though, he was happy the win had stayed in the team and we had a few beers together. There had been a lot of talk of him going the whole season unbeaten and I think, one he knew his title was secure, he was quite relieved because it was a lot of pressure hanging around his neck.

Sitting at a table in the hospitality a throwaway comment from Marc completely changed my life. It was also the reason the rest of the 2014 season was a bit erratic from me. After his second beer Marc said “This must be why 170814 has a line through it…” This was the first time I was made aware of the fact that my teammate, a very attractive man, had a branding very similar to mine…

*

Taking another sip of wine Dani chuckled as he remembered that night, the look of confusion on Marc’s face when he stuttered out and excuse to leave, the black marks on the vinyl floor of his motorhome from his trainers as he paced up and down for hours, the dark circles under his eyes at the test that everyone assumed was from celebrating, but were actually from a long night of no sleep wondering if his young teammate, the one he’d lusted over from afar, could possibly be his soulmate.

*

_2015 = Marc_

I mostly avoided Marc for the rest of 2014. I got away with it because he was busy winning the title and becoming the new poster boy for the sport. I was friendly and polite in the garage or when I had to be, but I spent most of the time in my motorhome or hotel room. I couldn’t deny my attraction to him, but he’d never mentioned his branding before and, more importantly, I had no idea of his sexuality.

The thing about Marc though is that he’s very perceptive. In the pre-season test before the 2015 season he joked to me about not winning ten races in a row so that I wouldn’t hide from him again and it was at that point that I knew that he was my soulmate. Not because of the branding, not because of his face (although it is a very pretty face), but because I cried into my pillow that night at the thought of upsetting him and making him sad.

I had a plan whereby I’d continue as normal until the summer break. Then I’d be brave and tell Marc about my branding, and about my feelings. That would give us four weeks of holidays and events where we wouldn’t be together so I could deal with the rejection privately.

As always though, life got in the way. It became very clear over the opening race weekend in Qatar that my arm pump situation had gone from bad too dire. I had a decision to make – I could retire because running around at the back of the grid isn’t an option for me, or have an operation so new, and risky, that I could lose use of my arm forever. It was the hardest decision I’d had to make because when I made decisions before I was younger, my career was the future, whereas with this operation I could have left myself disabled forever. I also had to accept, before the surgery, that my career could be over.

On the morning of my operation the date, 030415, appeared in my branding circle. It was slightly confusing, but I didn’t have a lot of time to think about it. I had a two-hour operation on my arm. I was awake through the operation, although thankfully there was a screen so I couldn’t see! Dr Villamor performed a surgery that no MotoGP rider has ever had, I had to sign eight different disclaimers, and I did think that it was an operation to prove to myself I’d done everything I could, rather than an actual chance of saving my career. No-one gave me a chance of coming back.

When I came out of surgery I was absolutely gobsmacked to find Marc waiting for me – I was expecting my brother! I didn’t even have to speak, my confused look said it all, and Marc, being Marc, decided that words couldn’t explain it so, in the middle of the waiting room, he lifted his shirt to show me his branding, on his hip, with dates in a circle and with that he shrugged, and showed me out to his car.

*

Closing the book Dani smiled, remembering the nerves in the car on the drive to his Madrid hotel room, him needing to stay close to the clinic. They’d walked to Dani’s room in silence, the door banging behind him making them both jump, then they’d stared at each other for ages.

_“What are you doing here?”_

_Putting his keys on the table Marc shrugged his shoulders, his nerves dissipating since Dani hadn’t reacted badly, “You know why.”_

_“Why now?”_

_Chuckling softly Marc chewed on his bottom lip, “Because I could lose you… If you leave the sport, then…”_

_“How long have you known?” Sitting on the edge of the bed, pain starting to knaw at his arm, Dani kicked off his shoes, watching Marc curiously._

_Pulling off his t-shirt Marc padded across the room to shut the curtains before coming to stand in front of Dani, his top cast aside like a rag. Pushing his jeans down slightly he grinned, Dani’s 26 logo clearly visible in his branding circle, three dates surrounding it, “I guess they, whoever **they** are, know I’m not as smart as you…”_

_“When?” Reaching out, his index finger tracing the outline of the numbers, Marc’s skin goose bumping at the touch, Dani was mesmerised, “How long?”_

_Closing his eyes, Dani’s touch on his skin going straight to his cock, Marc sighed softly, “The dates appeared when I was eighteen… 170814 came first, then I woke up with 280914 and the first one had a line through it. I thought it meant I had to wait longer to meet my soulmate… Then I woke up with 030415 and the other one had a line through it!”_

_“What about the twenty-six?” His fingertips stroking over Marc’s hipbone, the tiny little bumps on his skin prickling under his touch, Dani smiled fondly, easily able to imagine the frustration in Marc._

_“The night before my first MotoGP race…” Marc cackled, shaking his head, “I thought that was a very unfair tactic Pedrosa…”_

_“If it was a tactic it wasn’t a very good one…” Dani laughed softly, the sounding making Marc shiver, Dani still with his eyes locked on Marc’s branding, “Are you sure about this?”_

_“Dani…” His voice sounding half strangled Marc reached to touch Dani’s face, two fingers tilting the older man’s chin up, Marc leaning down to capture Dani’s lips with his own, the kiss soft, his tongue asking for entry before gently exploring, everything luxurious and painfully intimate. Carding his fingers through Dani’s hair as he pulled away, Marc’s eyes searched Dani’s face, looking for any doubt in the other man, “I’ve been waiting for you… Are **you** sure about this?”_

_“I…” Thinking for a second about all the reasons he shouldn’t; all the politics and things that could go wrong, Dani closed his eyes, Marc’s fingers tracing down his cheek bones to his jaw, his skin tingling as they passed, like Marc’s fingers were hot on his skin. Thinking about his arm, all of his injuries and all of the times he wished he could have someone there, someone who really understood, someone who got him, Dani nodded slowly, the pieces falling into place in his brain, everything clicking, “Yes. Yes, I’m sure…”_

_Dropping down to his knees between Dani’s legs, Marc cupped Dani’s face with a tenderness that made Dani want to weep, his smile wide and happy, his eyes sparkling, “I wanted to do this in Aragon, but I thought it might wreck it… It’s been killing me since you left Qatar. I think your brother hates me because I’ve basically been stalking him.”_

_“Idiot, you should have called me,” Dani shook his head, Marc pressing their foreheads together, both of them with their eyes closed, Dani’s good arm snaking around Marc’s waist, “Why didn’t you call me?”_

_“Because you wouldn’t have answered,” Marc answered candidly, taking Dani’s breath away with his words, “You’ve been so focussed on this you thought you had no time for a relationship. I know that you realised at Brno… I know why you avoided me for so long. I was giving you time to get your head around it. I wasn’t going to come today, but this morning… My brand itches… I woke up at 5am and I panicked… I thought today’s date was going to be scored out too…”_

_“Oh,” Unsure what to say, able to feel the tear rolling down Marc’s cheek, dampening both of their faces, Dani pressed his mouth to Marc’s, the touch feather-light, his tongue flicking out to catch the tear, “It’s not scored out.”_

_“No,” Marc smiled, cupping Dani’s face again, the kiss deeper, warmer and more, “It’s not.”_

*

_Retirement_

I always dreaded retiring. I couldn’t imagine what someone did after they finished their career. At the end of 2018, however, it felt right. I was still a good rider, but I wasn’t the best anymore and I wanted more from life than bikes.

Marc and I got married in 2017. Unlike the rumours said this book **isn’t** about revealing where or when or how. When we got married we said it was private and it is. All I will say is that it was perfect.

It was interesting being my husband’s teammate for a year, we hadn’t really changed from the year before, but everyone else did. People were waiting for a crash or a fight and I think they are all disappointed it didn’t happen, well not that they know of anyway…

In 2019 we adopted our twin daughters, Sofia and Maria. It wasn’t easy, following Marc with two small babies, or staying home and be apart from him, but they are amazing little girls. They’ve grown so quickly and we’re blessed that our families have been so amazing. Many a time when they were tiny we had to phone my Mama, or Roser, Marc’s Mama, for advice and they’ve always been there. There has been some hiccups, I’m not sure at all about some of the gifts Alex buys them, and Marc still hasn’t forgiven Eric for the ‘oh shit I left the babies in the park’ moment enough to let him babysit again, but it’s been amazing.

In fact, it was so amazing we forgot the chaos of a newborn and adopted our son, Leo, last year. People think we were making a big statement or something when we adopted Leo because of his Down’s, but we didn’t. We wanted to adopt another child, we met him and we fell in love with him. He felt like a good fit for us and luckily we seem to be a good fit with him. He’s at that stage now where he recognises Marc on the tv and cheers, which is good because he had a habit of cheering for Ducati’s for a while and it made things a bit awkward in hospitality!

*

Closing the book for the final time, the rest of the chapters unimportant, only the details about Marc and the children important to him, Dani shook his head, laughing as he across the garden, “Marquez, you do realise that they are supposed to be in bed in twenty minutes?!”

“Do we have anywhere to be tomorrow?” Splashing in the pool, Leo in his arms, Sofia and Maria paddling around him with their orange swim jackets on, Marc quirked his eyebrow at Dani, “Live dangerously for once Pedrosa…”

Shaking his head, Dani frowned, “It’s cold…”

“I’ll make it worth your while….”

“Oh really?”

“Yep…” Grateful the children were still too young to understand innuendo, Marc licked his bottom lip, his eyes begging Dani to join them, “I’ll let you share my warm up shower if you join us for ten minutes…”

“Well…” Casting his eyes up and down Marc, remembering their last time in the shower, Alex babysitting the children, Dani finding Marc with his hands pressed to the wall, his ass sticking out, begging Dani to open him up quickly and fuck him, the wails and moans that fell from the younger as he begged Dani, loud and needy, to take him apart Dani’s biggest turn on, Dani nodded, “Promise?…”

"Repeat of Valencia..." Referencing the night after the gala, the night he'd drew blood from his own lip, desperately trying not to wake the whole paddock as Dani licked him open, his needy begging to be taken apart after clinching the title loud and desperate, his body slick with sweat as he allowed, and asked, Dani to take him over the edge again and again, leaving him sore, but sated, curled up in Dani's arms, his life complete, Marc grinned as Dani cast his blanket aside, delighting the children by jumping into the pool fully clothed, disappearing under the water, before popping up close to them, making them scream, "You are too small for the deep end Pedrosa..."

"Never," Dani shook his head, spraying Marc with water, "I'm never too small to win..."

 


End file.
